Two level restaurant carriage for a railway vehicle

ABSTRACT

The restaurant carriage includes a lower level and an upper level, and includes a preparation and service area that is arranged on the lower level.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of the prior French Patent Application No. 16 58504, filed on Sep. 13, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a two-level restaurant carriage for a railway vehicle. More particularly, such a restaurant carriage is generally intended to equip a long-distance train or a high-speed train.

BACKGROUND

Already known from the state of the art is a two-level restaurant carriage, comprising a preparation and service area, in which the catering supplies are prepared and served at a counter. This preparation and service area is arranged on an upper level of the carriage, the intermediate floor between the upper level and the lower level being lowered so that the upper level has an optimal ceiling height.

The preparation and service area is fueled from outside the vehicle, via a dedicated upper door provided on the upper level. This fueling method requires means for lifting restaurant carts, so that these restaurant carts are able to access said upper door.

SUMMARY

The invention in particular aims to improve the situation, by limiting the need for specific equipment to fuel the restaurant carriage, while increasing the capacity of this restaurant carriage to accommodate passengers.

To that end, the invention in particular relates to a two-level restaurant carriage for a railway vehicle, including a lower level and an upper level, and including a preparation and service area, characterized in that said preparation and service area is arranged on the lower level.

The invention provides for arranging the preparation and service area on the lower level.

Thus, it is no longer necessary to load restaurant carts on the upper level. According to the invention, the restaurant carts are loaded directly from the station platform height. It is therefore not necessary to provide a dedicated upper door, but on the contrary it is possible to use traditional access doors to load the restaurant carts.

Likewise, it is no longer necessary to provide a lift system to load the restaurant carts.

Furthermore, on the lower level, the traditional ceiling height is sufficient to ensure optimal comfort for passengers wishing to dine. It is therefore not necessary to raise the intermediate floor, such that the dimensions of the upper level remain standardized and equivalent to the rest of the cars of the vehicle, which makes it possible to arrange a passenger room therein, and thereby to increase the passenger capacity of the restaurant carriage.

A restaurant carriage according to the invention may further include one or more of the following features, considered alone or according to any technically possible combination(s).

The restaurant carriage includes at least one passenger room on the upper level.

The restaurant carriage rests at least partially on a bogie, and wherein a household cooling unit is arranged at least partially above the bogie.

The restaurant carriage includes a dining area, arranged on the lower level.

The restaurant carriage includes at least one staircase connecting the first and second levels, emerging in the dining area.

The restaurant carriage includes an equipment area, arranged on the lower level.

The restaurant carriage includes a direct access door to the lower level configured to allow fueling of the preparation and service area.

The invention also relates to a railway vehicle, characterized in that it includes at least one restaurant carriage as previously defined.

Advantageously, the railway vehicle further includes at least one two-level passenger carriage, the two-level passenger carriage and the restaurant carriage having similar structural bodies.

Structural bodies refer to the structure formed by the side faces (as well as the openings for doors and windows arranged therein), the lower floor, the intermediate floor and the roof.

Thus, the restaurant carriage includes the same openings for doors and windows as the passenger carriage, and its intermediate floor is situated at the same height as that of the passenger carriage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, provided solely as an example and done in reference to the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a restaurant carriage according to one example embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a profile view of the restaurant carriage of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The figures show a restaurant carriage 10 according to one example embodiment of the invention, intended to equip a railway vehicle, in particular a long-distance or high-speed railway vehicle.

The restaurant carriage 10 extends lengthwise in a longitudinal direction X.

The restaurant carriage 10 includes a structural body 12, in particular comprising a lower floor 14, an intermediate floor 16 and a roof 18, as well as side faces 20 arranged across from one another in a transverse direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. These side faces 20 define an inner space in the transverse direction Y.

The side faces 20 include openings 22 for windows and doors, in particular for an access door 23, shown in FIG. 2.

It should be noted that the railway vehicle further includes other passenger carriages, each including a structural body similar to that of the restaurant carriage 10. In particular, the intermediate floors of the passenger carriages and the restaurant carriage 10 are arranged at a same height. For example, the distance, in a vertical direction Z perpendicular to the longitudinal X and transverse Y directions, between the lower floor 14 and the intermediate floor 16, is generally greater than or equal to 1950 mm.

The restaurant carriage 10 has two levels, and includes a lower level 10A, defined in the vertical direction Z between the lower floor 14 and the intermediate floor 16, and an upper level 10B, defined in the vertical direction Z between the intermediate floor 16 and the roof 18.

The restaurant carriage 10 includes a first preparation and service area Z1, as well as a second consumption area Z2.

According to the invention, the first area Z1 is laid out, i.e., arranged, on the lower level 10A. The second area Z2 is also arranged on the lower level 10A.

The first area Z1 in particular includes a sales counter 24 separating the first area Z1 from the second area Z2.

It should be noted that the first area Z1 is configured to be as compact as possible.

The upper level 10B has no dining area. This upper level 10B is then available to be laid out in any desired manner.

For example, the upper level 10B accommodates at least one traditional passenger room.

Advantageously, a connecting staircase 26 connects the lower level 10A to the upper level 10B, this staircase 26 emerging in the second area Z2.

Advantageously, the restaurant carriage 10 also includes an equipment area Z3, arranged on the lower level. The equipment area Z3 includes various pieces of equipment necessary to prepare catering supplies.

For example, the equipment area Z3 includes a household cooling unit 28, arranged at least partially above the first bogie 30 supporting the structural body 12.

Optionally, the lower level 10A also accommodates an air conditioning system 32, arranged at least partially above a second bogie 34 supporting the structural body 12.

It should be noted that the access door 23 is situated on the lower level 10A, such that it allows fueling of the refrigeration and non-refrigerated storage locations situated in the preparation area Z1 using trolleys without requiring specific means for lifting restaurant carts.

Advantageously, this access door 23, due to its location and the fact that it is similar to the other access doors on the other carriages of the vehicle, allows travelers who may be traveling in the area 10B to enter the carriage traditionally, by climbing the staircase 26 or preferably the opposite staircase in the carriage, once the fueling sequence is complete.

It will be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodiments previously described, and may have various alternatives without going beyond the scope of the claims. 

1. A two-level restaurant carriage for a railway vehicle, comprising: a lower level; an upper level; and a preparation area and service area, wherein said preparation and service area is arranged on the lower level.
 2. The two-level restaurant carriage according to claim 1, further comprising at least one passenger room on the upper level.
 3. The two-level restaurant carriage according to claim 1, wherein the carriage rests at least partially on a bogie, and wherein a household cooling unit is arranged at least partially above the bogie.
 4. The two-level restaurant carriage according to claim 1, further comprising a dining area, arranged on the lower level.
 5. The two-level restaurant carriage according to claim 4, further comprising at least one staircase connecting the lower and upper levels, emerging in the dining area.
 6. The two-level restaurant carriage according to claim 1, further comprising an equipment area, arranged on the lower level.
 7. The two-level restaurant carriage according to claim 1, further comprising a direct access door to the lower level configured to allow fueling of the preparation and service area.
 8. A railway vehicle, comprising at least one two-level restaurant carriage comprising a lower level and an upper level, wherein the two-level restaurant carriage comprises a preparation and service area, said preparation and service area being arranged on the lower level.
 9. The railway vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising at least one two-level passenger carriage, wherein the two-level passenger carriage and the restaurant carriage have similar structural bodies.
 10. The railway vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the two-level restaurant carriage further comprises at least one passenger room on the upper level.
 11. The railway vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the two-level restaurant carriage rests at least partially on a bogie, and wherein a household cooling unit is arranged at least partially above the bogie.
 12. The railway vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the two-level restaurant carriage further comprises a dining area, arranged on the lower level.
 13. The railway vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the two-level restaurant carriage further comprises at least one staircase connecting the lower and upper levels, emerging in the dining area.
 14. The railway vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the two-level restaurant carriage further comprises an equipment area, arranged on the lower level.
 15. The railway vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the two-level restaurant carriage further comprises a direct access door to the lower level configured to allow fueling of the preparation and service area. 